The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-28
THE HONDURAS COAST.

toms.
was awakened the other morning,
says letter from 1'ruxlo, by the
childish voice of one of our passengers,
little girl, saying in disappointed
tone; "Why, them amt houses; them 5
boxes got up and found that we
were lying at anchor on the quaint
old-fashioned town OF Truxllo.
This little Spanish settlement is built
on an emiuence and is approached by q
very steep paved road at the eastern
end of the town. The seashore side
is crowded with Notifications. very old
and dilapidated, and as a means of de-
Tense utterly useless.
The approaches from the interior of
Honduras to Iruxillo are mere trails
through the mountains. The only
means OF transportation is by pack
mules. The Aguan Navigation com
pany has been formed, in order to open
up Il new road TO the interior by the
rivers Aguan and Roman. They are
now at work with a large dredge, cut.
ting passage through from The Bay
OF TruXillo to these rivers. They have
large concession, and this will open
up great mineral rs we'll as fruit-pro-
ducing region.
Most OF the houses of Truxillo are
long, low-roofed, one-story dwellings,
built of stone and moatar, cool, and
well adapted TO the climate. Very
substantial, am told they are; indeed
some Of them have been standing hun
dreds of years. They are anything but
picturesque looking totally unorna-
mented on the outside. IL seemed to
me that all the houses looked alike;
Ia fact an air of sameness pervaded
the place.
The surrounding scenery on the
other hand compensates for the dull |
ness and makes beautiful frame for |
n very plain picture.
Behind the town is range of noun
tains thickly wooded, with little stream
lets trickling down TO the sea. In the
valleys on either side are Carib vii
liages-onc the village on the Rio
Crysslallis. the other on the Rio Negro.
We visited the Carib town on the Rio
Crystalls and found it m uch larger
settlement than il appeared to be.
These so-called CARDS are, properly
speaking, not CARDS, but the decend-
ants of an African tribe. Yet thew
most decidedly object to being classed
ms negroes, and boast that they have
never been slaves. They are quite
like the negro, with this exception
that they are scrupulously clean about
their persons.
As IS common among most peoples
of crude education, the women are the
drudges. They are the hewers of
wood and the drawers of water. and it
is not uncommon 10 see mother pad
ding dory-load OF bananas with her
infant squaitng in the bottom of the
boat.
When man among the Caribs
wishes 10 take unto himself wife he
news himself out dory, and, with the
assistance of his friends and jug OF
rum, gathers together the wherewthal
to build his hut, which consists OF
few poles, Il pile of clay TO form the ,,
iloor and to I'LL in the wicker work
sides OF the house, and some leaves of
he cobune palm TO thalch the roof
with. He then clears off n patch of :,
ground and plants Il few ears OF corn,
md some vans and cassaya root
This he calls his plantation. He is
hen considered an eligible swain. and
; in Il position to choose n partner
rom among the dusky maidens
The plantation is entirely looked J
fter by the woman. She gathers the !
'orn to make iortllas. and digs the
'assava root to make her bread :
listed a Carib House and watched the !.
operation of cassava bread-making. y
hey first wash the root. then crate il =
"a a pOard s'uldcd with small shnrp Il
articles of lint to form u rough sur !.
ace; then strain It to extract the sur v
lns Juice, which is considered poison
ms. Their mode of stranng is ex- y
remedy primitive. The article used as y
strainer is long snake-like arrange y
icnt. made from species of palmetto =
rass plated together, and looks ex- 81
city like a huge serpent IL is about
light feet long and about three inches a
4 diameter, and opens at one end. $
he strainer is suspended on a hook
-om The raflers, The grated cassava h
CURED in, then a heavy weight is at
sched to the lower end. which causes
ne strainer 10 contract, and so ex- 10
resses the JUICE. After il is thourough- m
strained L is taken out and baked &C
ITO large Hat cakes. which form the
lilly food Of the Carib tn
These appliances for making the tn
lssava bread, together with couple
stools. table. aud the inevitable su
comprise the furnishings of ",
e house At,
While walking through the town we
lppened in ON the school. There f.,
ere about fifty Carb boys. all orderly hr